


Winter Wonderland

by drxpdead



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 00:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2831927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drxpdead/pseuds/drxpdead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's really fucking cold, and Dan is agitated already because all the shops are closed. He meets Phil, a complete stranger who asked him for directions because he wants to see some Christmas lights</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter Wonderland

  Dan blew out a huff of air, scowling as the cold air turned his breath into a white cloud. He couldn't move his fingers inside of his pockets, and his ears had gone numb.

  Being outside in the middle of December wasn't something that Dan was fond of, but it was necessary. Christmas was not that far away, and he hadn't done any shopping for anyone. Call him lazy, but he had better things to do. 

  It hadn't started snowing yet, but the cold air was enough to set him one edge. Dan had been in kind of a rush, and he hadn't had time to dress properly for the weather, so he only had a thin jacket covering his arms. Not that it was much help, the wind blew sharply around him, straight through the material. He had permanent goosebumps on his arms. 

  Not to mention it was almost ten o'clock. He should have known, since it was so close to the holidays, that the stores would start closing early. He'd been to three so far, only to be met with locked doors and dark windows. But he wasn't one to give up so easily, and so he had one more destination, and the hope that it was open. 

  There were lights everywhere, which honestly did nothing to improve Dan's mood. He felt like they were mocking him, all bright and cheery when he was anything but. He'd been waking for over an hour now, and he would have given up long ago if he wasn't so desperate. He really didn't want to be seen as the heartless cousin who didn't give a shit about his family. He'd had enough of that last year. 

  His was interrupted from his grueling though process when something slammed into him from behind, sending him to the ground. Someone, he realized, when they fell on top of him.

  "Shit, shit." The person, a guy, muttered, scrambling frantically to stand up. Dan stared up at the dull sky dazedly, cursing the heavens above for putting him through this. Then there was a hand being shoved into his face, the guy reaching out to help him. "Sorry, I'm really sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going, lost in my head again." the guy explained. Dan grabbed his hand, groaning as he hoisted himself up. That was definitely gonna be sore tomorrow. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

  "No, I'm fine." Dan assured, smiling weakly. He looked over at the guy. He was actually kind of cute, pretty, if you could call a guy pretty. His black hair was a mess from the wind, blowing across his face. He had these blue eyes, that seemed to change color against the bright Christmas lights. 

  "Okay, good." the guy said, grinning in relief. "I really wasn't paying attention, I was kind of distracted. Hey, can I ask you something?"

  Dan smirked. "You just did." The guy smiled, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. 

  "You know what I mean." he said, and Dan nodded for him to continue. "I just, I'm kind of lost, I don't actually live around here. Do you know where the nearest Starbucks is?"

  Dan smiled. "Um, it's actually quite far from here." he said. "I wouldn't be able to give you directions without confusing you." He had no idea why the hell this guy would need to go to Starbucks this late at night, but he wasn't one to judge. "Sorry."

  "It's fine." the guy said. "Just, everywhere else is closed, I was sure that'd still be open."

  Dan wasn't usually someone who went out of their way to help other people, and certainly not strangers, but this guy just seemed too innocent to be out by himself, especially since he was lost. And besides, he wasn't doing anything else important. There was no way he was going to find an open shop at this time, he knew, and maybe coffee would do him some good. 

  "I could, uh. I could walk you there, if you want." he said. The guy looked surprised at the offer, but he smiled widely. Dan couldn't help but smile back. 

  "Y-you don't have to, if you don't want." he said. "I wouldn't want to trouble you."

  "It's fine, really." Dan said, shrugging. "I've nothing better to do."

  The guy grinned again. "Thanks."

  Dan nodded, and headed back the way he'd come, with the stranger falling into step beside him. 

                                     ****************************************

  It was a good half hour walk to the coffee shop, and Dan wasn't usually up to something like that, but he found that with Phil (that was the guy's name), it was at least bearable, fun even. 

  It had started off sort of awkward, since they did that know each other, but the tension was easily broken once they'd found that they actually had a lot in common. From music taste to unhealthy obsessions with TV shows. Phil was a talker, and also easily distracted. He would start talking about one thing, and digress into a completely unrelated subject, talking a mile a minute. Dan was caught up in the way he talked, his eyes lighting up excitedly as he recounted some hilarious family story, his Nothern accent lilting, making it that much more intriguing. 

  "What's a guy like you doing out in the cold this late at night anyway?" Phil asked, looking at Dan expectantly. 

  "Well, I could ask you the same thing." Dan replied snarkily. Phil smiled, staring around at the tall buildings around them, covered in decorations for the upcoming holiday. 

  "I was looking at the lights." he said airily. Dan looked at him in confusion, and awe, because he didn't think that he knew anyone who'd be determined enough to bear this weather just to look at some lights. "I'd heard they're really amazing up here, and my neighborhood isn't one for decorating just for one day of celebration."

  Dan shook his head at the boy. "There's nothing special about lights, Phil."

  "Maybe not to you." Phil said defensively. "But I like them. They make everything seem more prettier than they are. Like, any other day, it's all dull and lifeless, but for like, this one week or two, everything is.... magical." he paused, biting his lip slightly and laughing. "Sorry. That was kind of cheesy."

  "Kind of." Dan agreed, but shrugged his shoulders. "But in a good kind of way. I mean, I never thought they were anything special, but... I like that you seem so passionate about it."

  He couldn't tell, but Dan thought he saw Phil flush at his words, looking at the ground sheepishly. "Most people think I'm childish cause of it."

  "Nah, you're just special." Dan said, smiling at Phil's glare. 

  "Whatever." he said. "Now it's your turn."

  "For what?"

  "What are you doing out here at ten o'clock?" Phil asked. 

  Dan paused for a moment, before sighing. "Late gift shopping." he said. "Uh, I kind of lost track of time, and now I only have three days to get everyone gifts so that I don't seem like an ungrateful prick."

  Phil giggled at him, actually giggled. "Why the hell did you wait so long?" he asked, and Dan huffed indignantly. 

  "I just, had better things to do. My whole life doesn't center around being trampled to death in a shop, looking for gifts."

  "Well, you do have a point there." Phil said, nodding his head. "But it's also an excuse. I mean, I'm not one who thinks that Christmas is all about gifts and such, but I still do it. It's, like, a tradition. And waiting three days before is just plain lazy."

  "You don't even know me." Dan said, grinning. "You can't label me like that."

  "I think I know you well enough by now." Phil said, smirking, and Dan shook his head again. 

  "Well then, tell me." Dan said. "Tell me about me."

  "Okay, uh." Phil said, pausing and thinking. "Well, I already know you're lazy." Dan kicked the ground in offense. "And you're not a very festive person. Grumpy, you are. And you swear like a sailor."

  "Hey, it's not that bad." Dan defended. 

  "Please, you need to wash your mouth out with soap." Phil rolled his eyes. "You don't seem like a very social person."

  "And how would you know that?" Dan asked. 

  "Well firstly, cause you're on your own at ten o'clock at night. And we've been talking for almost twenty minutes, and you haven't mentioned anyone that could be a potential friend." Dan didn't say anything to that and Phil smiled in victory. 

  "That's all just basic stuff." Dan complained. "Like, first glance, on the surface things. You have to go deeper."

  Phil laughed but obliged, tapping his chin in concentration. "Er, you seem kind of bitter." he said, hesitantly. 

  Dan paused for a second, looking down at the ground as they continued walking. "What makes you say that?" he asked softly. He could feel Phil staring at him. 

  "Your eyes." Phil said. "They're distant, like, I don't know, like you're resentful of most everything. And the way you act, like you'd rather be anywhere else but around people." Phil inhaled deeply. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

  "No, it's alright." Dan said, but honestly, it wasn't. He hadn't known this guy for an hour, and he was already picking him apart like an experiment or something. He knew things that nobody was supposed to know, and it made Dan uncomfortable. He didn't like letting people in, letting them get personal, because he was always cautious about their intentions. "It's just. Not many people guess that on the first try."

Phil shrugged. "You're easy to read."

  The rest of the walk was silent, depressingly so, and they were like the dark presence in the middle of all the festive cheer surrounding them. They eventually reached the coffee shop, and stopped in front of the door. 

  "Thanks again, for taking me here." Phil said, smiling gratefully, and Dan returned it weakly. 

  "No problem." he replied, and was turning to leave, now against the idea of waking into the shop, when Phil touched his shoulder. He looked up at him questioningly. 

  "I hope you find your way, Dan." he said. "Maybe you'll find someone who'll help you." Dan had no idea what to say to that, frozen, as Phil leaned over and kissed his cheek softly. And then he smiled, walking into the shop and leaving Dan standing there. 

  It started snowing, as Dan finally gathered himself, turning and heading back to his empty flat. He'd have to wait till tomorrow to do his shopping.


End file.
